298 PEOPLE KILLED AS PASSENGER PLANE SHOT DOWN IN EAST UKRAINE

An
armed pro-Russian separatist stands on part of the wreckage of
the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane after it crashed near the
settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17,
2014.REUTERS/Maxim
Zmeyev

"Malaysia Airlines has lost contact of MH17 from Amsterdam," the
Malaysia Airlines tweeted.
"The last known position was over Ukrainian airspace."

There were reportedly 295 people on board (280 passengers and 15
crew) when it crashed in Torez, about 25 miles from the Russian
border in the region of Donetsk. There were 23 Americans
on the flight. There were no survivors.

REUTERS

"Locals say everything exploded in the air, fell in pieces, both
bodies and plane itself," Journalist Noah Sneider tweeted
from the area. "[People] thought they were being bombed."

An adviser to the Ukraine Interior Minister sayspro-Russia
separatists shot down the passenger plane with a
Russian-madeBuk ground-to-air
missile system, and Ukraine's security services (SBU) have leaked
alleged conversations between rebels who are
discussing the downed plane.

U.S.
intelligence has confirmed that
a surface-to-air missile was fired at the
plane.

The rebels
have
shot downmultiple aircraft in the
past month but deny involvement in the Malaysia Airlines
incident. Crucially, the separatists
in the areareportedlycommandeered a
set of the Buk system as of last month.

Local
residents in Donetsk
told Business Insider that they saw a Buk missile
system in the area. And Radio 24 (Pадио 24), a Ukrainian radio station,
posted this tweet, which shows a Buk missile system in Snezhnoye,
Ukraine:

The
translation of the Ukrainian text reads: "Buk" terrorists were in
Snezhnoye today.

Further,
The Interpreter reportsthe Ukrainian journalist
Roman Bochkala and an AP journalist have seen separatists with
the Buk system.

The region of Donetsk is astronghold of
pro-Russian rebels who arefighting the Ukrainian
army. The separatistsdeny
responsibility(via
The Interpreter), but they didclaimto shoot down a "Ukrainian transport plane" in the same
area earlier today.

And Igor Strelkov, the pro-Russian separatist leader who is
linked to Russian intelligence, claimed that rebels had shot
down the "transport plane" in Torez — the same town
that the Malaysia Airlines plane went down.

"In the region of Torez AN-26 plane has been shot," he
wrote
on Russia's version of Facebook. "We have warned them – not to
fly 'in our sky.'"

On July 8, the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine closed
the airspace to civilian aircraft after a military transport
plane, flying at an altitude of over 20,000 feet, was shot
down by rebels.

The Interpreter reports that the Ukrainian military has been
claiming that separatists have advanced missiles for a week after
the transport plane went down.

President Barack Obama was “aware” of reports of the plane crash,
a White House official told Business Insider, and he has
spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Geopolitical
expert Ian Bremmer tells Business Insider that the crisis in
Ukraine will now
escalate considerably.

REUTERS

Also earlier on Thursday, Ukraine
claimed that a Russian jet shot down a Ukraine SU-25 fighter
plane. For months, Ukrainian and U.S. officials have
warned against civilian aircrafts flying over Ukrainian
territory, especially near eastern Ukraine and the annexed
peninsula of Crimea.

Following are
images from the scene — warning: GRAPHIC.Emergencies Ministry
members work at the site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane
crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July
17, 2014.REUTERS/Maxim
Zmeyev

The site of a Malaysia
Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash is seen in the settlement of
Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014.REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev

REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev

REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev

REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev

An Emergencies Ministry
member works at the site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane
crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July
17, 2014.REUTERS/Maxim
Zmeyev